House of Al-Thani
The House of Thani (Arabic: اَل ثاني Al Thani) is the ruling family of Qatar, whose origins can be traced back to the Ma'adid clan of the Banu Tamim tribal confederation.
The Al Thanis are part of the Ma'adid sect of the Banu Tamim tribe, which can be traced back to Mudar bin Nizar who settled at Gebrin oasis in southern Najd (present-day Saudi Arabia) before he moved to Qatar. Around the 17th century, the tribe lived in Ushayqir, a settlement north-east of Riyadh. They settled in Qatar around the 1740s. Their first settlement in Qatar was in the southern town of Sikak, and from there they moved north-west to Zubarah and Al Ruwais. They settled in Doha in the 19th century under their leader Mohammed bin Thani. The group was named after the father of Mohammad, Thani bin Mohammad.
The family is made of four main factions: Bani Qassim, Bani Ahmed, Bani Jaber, and Bani Thamer. As of the early 1990s, the number of the family members was estimated to be about 6,000.
The leadership transitions in 1913, 1949, 1960, and 1995 were all forced abdications. These abdications were forced by a nephew in one incident and sons in the others. However, none of the forced abdications toppled the Al Thani dynasty, which remains in place.
Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani (ca. 1825–1913) Founder of modern Qatar
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